Alma Mater:  Southern Connecticut State '76
Year at JMU:  21st
Record at JMU:  259-163-30 (.606) (20 yrs.)
Career Record:  337-198-38 (.621) (27 yrs.)
Coaching Career:
* U.S. Soccer Staff, Algarve Cup (2001)
* NCAA Tournament (1983, 95, 96, 97, 98, 99, 2002, 04, 07, 08)
* CAA Tournament Title (1995, 2002)
* CAA Regular Season Leader (1996)
Coach of the Year:
* Virginia Division I (1995, 1996, 2007)
* Colonial Athletic Association (1996, 2007)
* Met Life National (1983)
* Met Life New England (1983)
* New England Women's Intercollegiate Soccer Assn. (1983)

Credit Dave Lombardo with building a successful James Madison soccer program.

Certainly many individuals have contributed to the accomplishments of the Dukes' teams since the program's inaugural season in 1990.  But the one constant has been Lombardo, whose JMU teams have been consistently successful over the years.

The Dukes have had 18 winning seasons under Lombardo, who ranks among the winningest active coaches in NCAA Division I soccer.  And his Dukes have set a high standard of achievement with nine NCAA tournament berths (1995-99, 2002, 2004, 2007, 2008) in the last 15 years.

The program's success is due in part to a combination of good coaching and good players, says Lombardo.

"We've established a program at JMU with a history and tradition of success, both on and off the field," says Lombardo.  "We're proven year in and year out that we rate as one of the top programs in the country.  We play a tough schedule because we have a quality program with good players who deserve to test their talents against the best."

Competitive from the beginning
From the start Lombardo's teams have been competitive in NCAA Division I.

He quickly took the JMU program from the club level to national prominence.  JMU moved from Top 10 regional ranking in its inaugural season (1990) to Top 25 national ranking the very next year.  The Dukes were runners-up in the 1991 and 1993 Eastern College Athletic Conference Championships before winning the 1995 Colonial Athletic Association title to advance to their first NCAA tournament.

When Lombardo guided the Dukes to the CAA championship and subsequent NCAA berth in 1995, it was with a team of underclassmen in what many would have been considered a rebuilding year.  His accomplishment earned him 1995 Virginia Coach of the Year honors.  When his 1996 team reached the NCAA tournament round of 16 for the second straight year, Lombardo was again named Virginia Coach of the Year and was also honored as CAA Coach of the Year.  His 1996 and 1998 teams were eliminated in the NCAA Tournament by the eventual national champion teams (North Carolina in 1996 and Florida in 1998). 

The Dukes won their second CAA tournament title in 2002.  JMU knocked off top-seeded and defending league champion William and Mary in the semifinals.  The Dukes then advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament with an upset of 13th-ranked Charlotte on the 49ers' home field.

JMU participated in its seventh NCAA Tournament as an at-large entry in 2004, falling to third-ranked Virginia in the round of 64.

In 2007 the Dukes made their eighth NCAA Tournament appearance, receiving an at-large berth.  JMU advanced to the round of 32 before being eliminated by West Virginia.

JMU advanced to the round of 16 in the 2008 NCAA Tournament.  The Dukes, who received an at-large berth and made their ninth NCAA appearance, beat Georgia 1-0 in the first round and topped Wake Forest 1-0 in the second round.  JMU's NCAA Tournament run ended with a 3-2 loss at third-ranked Portland.

Lombardo, who achieved his 300th career coaching victory in 2007, ranks sixth among active NCAA Division I coaches in coaching victories and 54th in career winning percentage. 

His 20-year record with JMU is 259-163-30 (.606), and he has a 27-year career record of 337-198-38 (.621).

A background of success 
Lombardo came to JMU from Keene (N.H.) State, where he shaped that program into national prominence in NCAA Division II.  He was named Metropolitan Life national Coach of the Year (1983) and Met Life New England and New England Women's Intercollegiate Soccer Association Coach of the Year (1983) while at Keene State.

Under Lombardo the Owls won ECAC Division II championships in 1986 and 1987 and were ECAC runners-up in 1985.  His 1983 team was the only Division II school to qualify for the 12-team NCAA Open Championships, and the Owls finished 11th in the national tournament.  Keene State advanced to postseason play every season during his seven-year tenure there.

His accomplishments earned him induction into the Keene State Sports Hall of Fame in 1999.

The national and international scene
In 2001 then-U.S. national team coach April Heinrichs invited Lombardo to serve on U.S. Soccer's coaching staff for the Algarve (pronounced AL-garv) Cup in Portugal.  He served as an observer coach for the U.S. women's team during the seven-day tournament.  (The Algarve Cup involves national teams from Portugal, Norway, Denmark, Finland, China, Canada and the United States.)

Lombardo is a member of the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) All-America committee and a member of the rating board for the NSCAA National Top 25 Poll.  In 1996 Lombardo completed a three-year term on the NCAA mid-Atlantic regional advisory committee for the Division I championship.

He holds a bachelor's degree in physical education from Southern Connecticut State University ('76), where he played soccer.  Lombardo has a master's degree in higher education from Southern Illinois University-Carbondale ('80) and holds a USSF national coaching license.

He and his wife, Joan, have a daughter, Amanda, a 2005 Virginia Tech graduate.

Lombardo's Coaching Record
337-198-38 (.621)  in 27 years